A Perpetual Tale
by Kealilah
Summary: She was a normal villager, and he was a prince... both living in a world of magical tales and creatures, but when one day when they stumble across each other's paths on a ship, a tale to remember, unravels its way.
1. A Perpetual Tale

**A Perpetual Tale**

**And as I stretch further into the chapters of Being Backstage... I start, yet, another story - Don't sue me, I'm broke. **

**And as I may have mentioned before, the time line of this story does not take place in the modern days... it's A/U – and simply takes place in the olden days... don't ask, I just have a thing for these kinds of stories.**

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**Chapter One**

**A Perpetual Tale **

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"Aha! I'll beat you home!" Kagome yelled out to her cousin who was currently running behind Kagome in a desperate attempt to beat her.

Kagome grinned as she saw her cottage loom up in the distance, the forest behind it giving off dark lure as the sun slowly proceeded to vanish underneath the bay. Laughing with giddiness as she reached the small wooden gates of her home, she pushed them open and turned around to wait for her cousin's arrival.

She came, puffing in exhaustion, glaring at Kagome half-heartedly. "No fair, you had a lighter basket, and my dress is longer!" she said and sat pushed open the gates to stand in front of Kagome who was fiddling with her basket.

"Oh no... I think there was a rip or something but half of the berries I picked have disappeared." Kagome sighed as she looked into her basket in which she had put tons of blueberries that her mother had asked her to pick so she could make a pie.

"Don't worry; at least I have a whole bucket full... which gave you the advantage in the race!" Her cousin, who was profusely named Sango, pointed out.

Kagome nodded with a sly smile and both girls made their way into the cottage, where they quietly took off their slippers at the doorstep and tiptoed to the kitchen where Kagome's mum, was apparently making some kind of dish.

"Mother, is father sleeping?" Kagome asked quietly, noticing the quietness of the cottage.

"As a matter of fact, he isn't, it's just your little brother and Sango's little brother which have fallen asleep in their bedrooms, they're taking a nap – so don't make too much noise..." Kagome's mother smiled and walked up to Sango and Kagome to take their basket of blueberries. "Kagome, you didn't pick much..."

Sango stifled a laugh as Kagome pouted. "My basket ripped and half of them fell out!"

Shaking her head, Mrs. Higurashi, (Kagome's mom) made her way back to the counter, where she put aside the candle so it wouldn't burn the baskets. Turning back to Kagome, she smirked at them. "If you change into your night gowns and make your beds, I'll make some scones for you and put out some blueberry jam!"

Kagome laughed, ignoring the sparkle in Sango's eyes at her mother declaration. Pulling Sango out of the kitchen, both of the girls giggled as they slowly made their way up the wooden staircase, making their way inside Kagome's room.

Just as Kagome was making her way to the dresser where her nightgown was kept, two boys came from behind and tackled her, screeching, she fell face forward on the wooden floor.

"_KOHAKU_!" Sango yelled as she noticed one of the boys was her little brother, meaning that the other one was definitely Souta.

"Close the door or this lady will be in trouble!" Souta yelled out and grabbed Kagome's wrists from the back, making the most comical, though rather pirate-like expression ever.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Ha ha... joke's over, get off of her right now!" She yelled out but Kohaku jumped off of Kagome and stood in front of her.

"Listen to him missy!" He said in a strained voice and Sango shook her head before giving in, walking to the door and closing it lightly.

"NOW get off of me!" Kagome yelled out in a muffled voice and struggled to throw her overweight little brother off of her.

"Only if you make a deal with us!" Souta said and looked between his sister and his cousin. Sango shook her head in frustration and then lunged forward to grab Kohaku, who successfully ran away before she made contact with him.

Kagome groaned as Sango started chasing her little brother around the room, yelling out unimaginable curses, making Souta cringe as Sango picked up a pot from a table and threw it at Kohaku, who yelled and dived under the bed for cover.

Taking it upon herself to push her brother off. She forced all her energy to her arms, and pushed herself off of the ground, making Souta yell as he stumbled off of her, landing with a thump on the floor.

"What the heck do you two boys think your doing?" Kagome yelled out and grabbed her little brother by the arm so he wouldn't run away.

"Exactly, and by the way, weren't you both taking a nap?!" Sango yelled out and fished her brother out from under the bed where he struggled and yelled as she held him by the collar.

"Have mercy on us, we're just here to ask a rather embarrassing question!" Souta yelled out, seeing that his comrade was in danger as Sango punched Kohaku harshly on the arm.

That made both of the girls let go of them immediately... embarrassing question? That only meant one thing... girls... and that only meant one other thing... secret crushes.

Kohaku ran to Souta's side as Sango let go of him, and both of them sat on the floor in front of the unlit fireplace. Walking to Kagome's side, Sango had to stifle a laugh as Kohaku and Souta had the lightest of blushes on their cheeks.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the flushed boys. "So what's the question?"

Souta cleared his throat and Kohaku had a sudden cough attack. Just as Sango was about to yell out at them to get to the point, Souta spoke up. "Seeing that it's out fourteenth birthday tomorrow, could we at least ask why every kid gets a fire lit candle on this special day?"

Kagome burst out laughing. "THAT'S what you had to ask?"

Kohaku shrugged. "It was nagging our minds for a long time anyway..."

They nodded, Sango being the one who had a stupid grin on her face. "So Kagome, let's show them how the tale goes the old fashioned way!"

Kagome clasped her hands together. "Oh this will be fun!" Walking towards the stand where Kagome's own fire lit candle was placed, she smiled at the boys. "So I'll start... you see, once upon a time – there was a fire fairy... who loved to play pranks and jokes, and loved to get into trouble!"

"...and there was one thing she _never _believed in... and that was love!" Sango picked up from Kagome and grinned as Kagome picked up her fire lit candle and did a little dance with it.

"And you see..." Kagome said in a whisper and crouched down in front of the boys with her candle in her hand. Taking her finger, she quickly wafted her hand through the flame, and surprisingly, her finger didn't get burnt a single bit. "One day, on her fourteenth birthday, she was running down the halls of her palace when..."

"...When she tripped, and by accident, she sent a flame of fire towards a candle." Sango said and picked up Kagome's candle from her hand. "And surprisingly, the flame wouldn't burn off, no matter what she did, and the candle wouldn't melt!" she said and then both Sango and Kagome put the one candle between them, and with all their might blew on it.

Souta watched, completely amazed. "Why won't the flame die? Or even flicker?"

Kagome smiled. "Let us finish the story..." she cleared her throat and took the candle back into her own hand. "The candle baffled everyone in the palace, I mean, what kind of flame wont die? So... they decided to put the candle in a pot, just like the one I have here..." she pointed to the pot she had taken out the candle.

"... and so they waited," Sango started off. "For days..."

"... For weeks..."

"... For months..."

"...Even years!"

"And the flame wouldn't even flicker." Kagome said and then put the candle back in the pot. "But one day... the girl, who was now nineteen years old, was walking through the village."

"And she met the most handsome man imaginable." Sango said with a laugh and ignored the blush on the two boys' cheeks. "So they became friends... and they talked a lot to each other, and even met almost every day."

"And one day, when the fire fairy was saying goodbye to the now very good friend as he left for a journey which would take years, her candle blew out."

Both of the girls stopped to watch the boys' faces which held nothing but curiosity and amazement.

"And you know what exactly happened when the candle blew out?" Sango asked her little brother and leaned down in front of him as Kagome picked up her candle once again and wafted it in front of their faces.

The both shook their heads and waited for an answer.

"The fire fairy fell in love." Kagome finished off and Souta widened his eyes.

Sango nodded and took the candle from Kagome's hand. "So let it be tale or truth," she handed the candle back to Kagome. "Or myth or legend."

Kagome smiled and once again wafted her hands through the flame. "Everyone gets a candle on their fourteenth birthday, which is lit by a fire fairy, and the candle will stay lit for a perpetual time, just until the day, the owner of the candle, falls in love."

At this, the two boys blushed. "So this is why that candle," Souta pointed to the candle Kagome was holding. "Wouldn't burn out."

Kagome nodded. "Yup, this is my candle which has been lit by a fire fairy... and supposedly, it's not supposed to burn out until I fall in love – which will be never."

Sango laughed. "That's not true, you'll fall in love someday... you just have to wait for your special someone!"

Kagome shook her head. "Have you seen the men in this village?" She stuck out her tongue. "_Puh – lease_, I'd rather fall in love with a pig!"

Sango shook her head. "Well, my candle hasn't burn out yet, do you see me complaining? We're only seventeen for gods sake, the fire fairy in the tale had to wait until she was nineteen... have some mercy on yourself!"

Kagome shrugged. "Oh whatever." She said placed the candle back on the pot. "Anyway, you both will be getting your candles tomorrow, have fun with them..." She said and then pushed the blushing boys out of the room.

Turning back to Sango, she saw her frown. "Oh come on Kagome, it's not like your candle will stay lit forever!"

Kagome shook her head. "How can you be so sure?"

"I have a feeling something's going to happen and very soon as well..." Sango said and then sighed at Kagome's unsure expression.

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"BURN OUT, BURN OUT, BURN OUT!" Inu-Yasha yelled and stared deeply into the flame on the top of his candle. Seeing that it had no intention of burning out, he growled and picked up the jug, pouring some water on the candle, yet, it still didn't burn out. "UGH! Why won't it burn out damnit?!!"

Miroku laughed as he sat on Inu-Yasha's bed, reading a scroll. "Because Inu-Yasha, you aren't in love."

Inu-Yasha grumbled which sounded very much like a cuss. "Yes I am!"

Miroku rolled his eyes. "For god's sake, how many times do you need to be reminded that you aren't in love with Kikyo?"

Inu-Yasha swore out loud. "Well, if I pretend I'm in love with her, at least my mother would get off of my back, I swear, she's gotten worse – every day she's coming up to me, telling me to find my 'special someone'."

Miroku laughed again. "Well because Inu-Yasha, it's natural for your mother to worry about you, you're nineteen, and you're a prince – and you're still all alone in the world."

Inu-Yasha glared at Miroku and then sent a furious stare at the candle, hoping that it would somehow make it burn out, but of course, it didn't. "But come on... falling in love is impossible!"

"No it's not." Miroku said and then rolled his eyes as Inu-Yasha tried knocking the candle out, but the flame wouldn't even flicker.

"What do I have to do to fall in love damnit!?" Inu-Yasha said out in frustration as he placed the candle furiously on its stand.

"You just let destiny have its way, and when you least expect it," Miroku snapped his fingers. "You're in love!"

Inu-Yasha shook his heads. "That all is just some crap, I won't ever fall in love, and the candle wont ever burn out and my mother won't ever leave me alone!"

Miroku sighed. "Inu-Yasha, have some patience..."

Inu-Yasha shook his head furiously and headed towards the door. "I'm going to grab some dinner, and stop with all the love crap, because I'm telling you now, I'm never going to fall in love, and the candle can just rot in hell for all it's worth!"

Miroku sighed and shook his head, oh god... some people really didn't know patience, sliding off of the bed, he followed Inu-Yasha out of his large bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Neither Kagome nor Inu-Yasha knew how wrong they were and both unaware of the journey that awaited them, that would completely change their lives, forever.

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**It's short... but it's just the prologue so you can't blame me...**

**Review and tell me what you thought of it!! **


	2. Curiosity Catastrophe

**A Perpetual Tale**

**Oh my gosh... I was flabbergasted at the amount of reviews I got for the first chapter! =D – thank you ALL!! Oh, and of course, I'm _very_ sorry for the delayed chapter, I got carried away with other 'stuff' and I barely had any time for writing! **

**Chapter Two**

**Curiosity Catastrophe**

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"Kagome... Kagome – wake up, I need you to deliver..." her mother's voice trailed on and on as she drooled onto her pillow on her bed. It was far too early in the morning, barely dusk – so couldn't she at least wait until sunrise to make her deliver some parcel or whatever it was?! "Kagome – are you even listening to me? Oh dear... Sango...?"

Both girls didn't move an inch from their beds and continued to sleep blissfully, completely immune to the frustrated mother's call.

"Oh get _up_ you two!" her mother protested again, and hearing no reply, she growled and walked around the bed to the window directly in front of it. Pulling back the small curtain, and then unlocking the bolt, she swung open the window and smiled as gusts of cold morning wind poured into the room.

Kagome groaned and fluttered her eyes open as her blanket was swept off of her by the sharp wind. Getting up, she rubbed her eyes and looked confusedly at her mom and then at the open window where wind was still gushing in. Holding down her hair as it fluttered around, she kicked Sango awake who grumbled at her early awakening and then both glared at the smiling lady.

"Aunty – why the _heck_ are you waking us up before sunrise?" Sango asked as she noticed the light blue shade of the room which told them clearly the sun was still taking its time to rise.

Mrs. Higurashi gave them a sorry smile, "Well, I'm sorry for the early awakening, but you see... the prince is leaving for a trip across the sea which would take a couple of weeks, and I just got short notice to bake some pies for the journey... and well, I've done so – but, I don't have anyone to deliver them..." she trailed off and then nudged her head towards the two baskets on the floor, telling the girls distinctively what she wanted them to do.

Kagome groaned and flopped back down on her bed, enjoying the feel of the wind glide across her body. "But mother... how come _we_ have to deliver them?" she asked and glanced at Sango who was stretching her arms.

"Because your fathers tired, and Souta and Kohaku are too young to go out by themselves yet," she said and then headed towards the door. "And anyway, it won't take long, just drop the baskets off at the docks, near the ship that's waiting... and then come back!"

And with that, she left, leaving two very disgruntled teens on their beds. "Did that prince have to leave this early?" Kagome said out loud, shifting all the blame on the prince for their early chore.

"It's not his fault that his ship's arriving so soon!" Sango pointed out and got out of bed, walking over to the window first and closing it, stopping the rampage of wind.

"But he was the one who ordered the pies in the first place!" Kagome grunted out and stretched her arms, straightening her back in the procedure.

It took a matter of minutes, grumbling, yawns and colorful words but they managed to get all their bathroom work done and had gotten changed out from their nightgowns.

Walking down the staircase of their home, Kagome being the one who wore a sleeveless corseted pink dress which flowed out from the waist and stopped at the knees and Sango being the one who wore a simple green one piece dress which stopped below the knees but had long sleeves to show the difference, they stopped at the doors to find their shoes.

Still grumbling with displeasure as Kagome pulled on some fashionable boots at the doorstep to match her outfit, she sighed as she leaned back up and then stepped out the door with Sango following behind.

Seeing two horses waiting for them at the gates, they walked up to each horse and buckled on the reins. "We better get paid for this!" Kagome pouted as she hoisted herself onto her white horse and balanced the basket full of pies in front of her. "By the way, any idea how long it takes to get to the docks?"

Sango shrugged and got on the other black horse. "Not too long; but we'll get there before sunrise for sure though."

Kagome nodded, and with that, both girls took off.

It went as Sango had predicted, it hadn't taken long for them to reach the docks, and the sun was just rising as they pulled the reins of the horses to stop at the entrance of the many docks. As they jumped off, Kagome grumbled as she pulled down the basket of pies and turned to Sango. "Right, so let's get this over with..."

Sango nodded and picked up her basket and followed Kagome down the dock. It was quite a peaceful morning, the sea water was rushing underneath the wooden dock trail way beneath them and the seagulls were giving their call from above them.

As Kagome turned a sharp turn, she gasped as she saw the ship in front of her. "Oh my..."

"Gosh!" Sango finished off and dropped the basket beside a few crates so stare at the magnificent ship standing in front of them.

"It's _huge!_" Kagome exclaimed and dropped her basket beside Sango's and continued to stare at the ship. "Look at the sails, they're humungous! And there must be at least four freaking floors!" Kagome let out a deep breath of amazement and walked up to the edge of the docks to stare at it.

Sango came behind her. "... look, it say's 'Demon's Claw'!" She pointed to the large sails which said it exactly that in big red, sharp letters. "The deck's pretty big!" she pointed out and Kagome nodded fervently.

"That prince is one... lucky... bastard!" Kagome yelled out and then squealed as an idea popped in her head. "I know! Let's go check out the ship!" She finished off with another squeal and clasped her hands together.

"Kagome – No! Are you crazy?! That would be trespassing!" Sango shook her head, her voice showing evidence of complete negativity. "Forget about it!"

Kagome wailed. "Oh come on! Don't be such a baby! We won't be _'trespassing'_, more like checking the ship out!" she did a little jump, ignoring the creak of the wooden trail way beneath her. "I'm going!"

Widening her eyes, Sango grabbed out and grasped Kagome's arm. "No, Kagome – wait, what're you doing!?" She screamed as Kagome pulled the rope, letting down the ladder to the deck of the ship. Taking back a few steps as the foot of the ladder crashed in front of them, Sango panicked as Kagome quickly took a few steps up the ladder. "KAGOME!"

Kagome laughed, ignoring Sango's wails and simply jumped aboard the ship. She took a gasp of amazement as she looked around. "Oh my! Sango – it feels like I'm aboard a pirate ship!!" She laughed and ran up to the steering wheel of the ship. "Sango, you have to come up, it's amazing!"

Sango shook her head and growled in frustration. "Kagome, come back down this instant! They'll catch you and throw you in the dungeons!"

"Psh! Nonsense, oh my god... the masts are huge, and look at the sails and riggings!" Kagome asked, completely ignorant to Sango's wailing.

"**_Who cares_**!? Let's go before the prince arrives!" Sango did an impatient stomp of her foot. "Kagome, please, you'll get in trouble!"

Kagome scoffed. "Try living your life on the edge for a change Sango," she gasped, followed by a squeal afterwards. "This is so awesome, a telescope Sango... A TELESCOPE!"

Sango rolled her eyes despite the worry she was feeling inside of herself. "It's just a telescope; you can buy one in the general store!" she stomped her feet again as she noticed Kagome was still scurrying around the deck, looking at everything possible.

"Sango!" Kagome yelled out and stood in front of the open trap door, "You have to come up! I'm going to go inside now!"

Gasping in panic, Sango scurried up the ladder. "Are you crazy Kagome!? People may be down in there!" she smacked her forehead as Kagome paid no heed to her words and instead, climbed down the ladder to the second floor of the ship. Groaning, she followed her down.

Kagome stared in amazement at the furnished, beautifully lit and carpeted corridor in front of her. Not noticing the thud on the floor as Sango jumped down behind her, she once again, clasped her hands together and walked down the corridor.

"Kagome... let's go back!" Sango whispered behind her, her stomach queasy with nervousness.

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned around to face Sango. "Don't worry, we won't get caught... come on... I just want to see what's on this floor..."

Biting her bottom lip, Sango followed Kagome as she walked down the corridor, somehow knowing that something horrible was going to happen.

Kagome on the other hand was marveled at the beauty of the ship, and as she saw a turn coming up in front of her, she ran up to it and smiled brightly as she saw that on this corridor, there were doors on each side, meaning rooms... meaning more to explore!

Tip toeing across the corridor, knowing that some occupants may be in the rooms, she made her way up to the big glass doors at the end of the corridor and opened them, sneaking in a peek to see if it was empty first. Feeling a triumphant punch in the guts as she saw no one was there, she walked in and gasped as she looked around.

It was a humungous library, books and books all around her all in a big circle. Hanging her mouth wide open, she took in a sharp breath as looked up to see how many books were on each shelf... at least a hundred! Doing a little swirl on the furnished tiles beneath her, she giggled as she saw Sango's flabbergasted face.

"I've never seen this many books all together in one room in my life!" Kagome breathed out and Sango nodded slowly, almost forgotten about the whole ordeal of getting caught.

"This is one big ship..." Sango breathed out and followed Kagome as she walked across the library to the glass doors in front of them on the other side of the library.

Opening the doors, Kagome and Sango, once again were shocked at the beauty of the occupants of the room. It was a dining room, not so big, but very royal. The table was made out of oak wood, with golden markings across the rims, the chairs looked liked they were made of gold, with royal red cushions. There was a large fountain-like stand on the middle of the table, but instead of water... it was filled with fruit.

Kagome raised her eyebrows and looked back at Sango who was trying not to hyperventilate. "I knew that the prince was rich... but not this rich..." Kagome said and Sango nodded along, at a loss for words.

Both of them were about to head back into the library to check out the third floor when they felt the ship lurch forward. Letting out a small scream as Kagome took a few steps back by force, they both fell on the floor with a heavy thud.

"What on earth just happened?!" Sango asked as she got up, rubbing her 'derriere' as the shock wore off.

Kagome rose an eyebrow as she felt the floor start to rock gently, barely noticeable but it definitely _was_ moving. Looking around, she widened her eyes as she heard some voices coming from the corridor. Listening intently, she pulled Sango down underneath the table in the middle of the library so if anyone came in, they wouldn't see them.

"Why the hell did I have to come on the ship so damn early!?" A male voice was heard, which sounded very... very angry. "I didn't want to go on this damned voyage anyway!"

"Inu-Yasha, stuff a pie in your mouth, it's not like we had anything better to do in the palace..." Another voice, which sounded much calmer though rather tired, carried into the two anxious girls ears.

"Miroku, why don't you stuff a pie in _your_ mouth?!" The first voice, who was supposedly named Inu-Yasha, yelled back.

"Lame comeback buddy," A third voice, which sounded like the only one who didn't seem to be upset about something, shot out to the gruff Inu-Yasha. "Anyway, you're going back to sleep right now – so what's the big deal eh?"

"Because_ – _uh... because... Argh, just shut up Kouga!" The supposedly named Inu-Yasha yelled out and with frustration, opened his bedroom door and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Great, now I'm stuck with the biggest ass and the most perverted lecher in the world... if only we had some fine young ladies with us, it would lighten the atmosphere ..." the third voice, probably named Kouga yawned and made his way into another room, this time closing the door gently.

"I guess I'll go to sleep too..." The second voice, which seemed exhausted by the way, opened yet another bedroom door and walked in, this time, not even bothering to shut it close.

Kagome took a deep breath as no more voices were heard, though her worry was brought back to her as she regained consciousness of the rocking ship. Looking at Sango who looked slightly pale, she nudged her arm. "I think we should get off the ship now..." she whispered and Sango nodded shakily.

Both tip toeing their way out of the shadow of the table, Kagome pulled Sango straight up and nudged her head towards the glass doors which led to the corridor. "Let's be really quiet okay?" Kagome whispered to Sango who looked paler by the second.

"I feel like something's gone horribly wrong..." she whispered to Kagome and bit her lip as Kagome pushed the glass doors open quietly and got on all fours to creep along the carpeted corridor.

Looking back at Sango, Kagome mouthed to her to come alone by her as she made her way down the corridor. Holding in a breath as she came along two doors, she quickly calculated that 'Inu-Yasha' and 'Kouga' were supposedly taking occupancy in them and silently prayed to god that they wouldn't catch them.

Making their ways past their doors, Kagome let out a breath as neither of them opened the doors, but just as she was regaining her breath, she froze as she noticed, yet, the opened door.

She mentally smacked herself... no... this wasn't fair... the last man... named 'Miroku' hadn't shut his door! Biting her lip she crawled to the edge of the door and gave a quick peek inside. She quickly brought her head back as she spotted him sleeping soundly on the phoenix feathered bed.

Nodding to Sango, they quickly crawled past his door and then stood up and ran gently up to the ladder which led up to the deck.

Before Kagome could climb up, Sango tugged on Kagome's arm. "Kagome... is it just me or is the ship rocking side to side gently... as if a ship on sail would?"

Kagome couldn't help but notice how pale her skin tone had gotten. "Just because it seems that the ship has... um... set sail doesn't mean that it actually has!" she mumbled out feebly and then climbed up the ladder with Sango following her from behind.

As she reached up, Kagome felt her guts twist into knots as she felt a cool breeze hit her gently... this was NOT a good sign! Getting up, she quickly hid behind stacked up crates as she saw some people on deck and pulled Sango beside her, not noticing as the trap door slammed shut.

Taking a gulp, she crawled behind the crates until they reached the wooden railings of the deck. Letting in a deep breath, she looked over the railing and let out a squeak of terror as she saw that the ship... had taken sail. The water was moving swiftly underneath them, some of the waves crashing gently on the bottom of the ship. Looking back behind her, she widened her eyes in terror as she saw that the sails had been blown out perfectly by the wind.

And as she peeked up from behind the crates, she felt her heart clench as she saw that her home village was getting distant by the second.

"Oh my god... Sango... no... this can't be happening!" She said and flopped down beside Sango who had become completely pale and was now even starting to get a tinge of green on her nose.

"Kagome, we're stuck on this ship... for at least a few many weeks, with the royal prince and his friends... and if they find us... we're most likely to be sent to walk the plank and jump into the sea to drown!" she squeaked out and held her hands to her chest. "What are we going to do!?"

Kagome shook her head. "We have to find a way to get off... maybe we can swim back to shore?"

"WE DON'T KNOW -." Sango's mouth was clamped shut as Kagome's hand came flying towards it.

"Don't scream you idiot!" She snapped out and cringed as she heard a man ask another man if he had heard something.

Pulling off Kagome's hand, she glared at Kagome. "We don't know how to swim!" She whispered and Kagome frowned.

"I know... then... what are we going to do? We can't hide behind these crates for the next few weeks, and my mother will be so worried... and oh god, it's Souta and Kohaku's birthday today!"

Sango let out a groan and shook her head. This was not good... they were stuck either way, neither could swim and nor could they go ask the occupants of the ship for help or else they'll be accused for trespassing.

As both of them went through a phase of brainstorming, they both froze as they heard the trap door open; just realizing they had slammed it shut as they had gotten out. Taking in a horrid gasp, awaiting for the worst, Kagome grabbed Sango's hand as they saw a pair of eyes land on them.

_"Who the hell are you two!?" _

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**(Cringes as persistent remarks come flying my way) – Oh darn, I know it's short... hell... I know it's REALLY short... but... if I continued on, it just wouldn't be the same you know? **

**So here's a promise... the next chapter... will be MUCH longer, okay?!**

**Alright then, so review and tell me what you thought about it... so until next time, cya! **


	3. And So a Voyage Begins

**A Perpetual Tale**

**I am... so, so, so sorry for the late update! I really never intended it to be this long! School just dragged me off my feet and I hadn't had any time to go on the computer to do anything, let alone write!**

**And by the way, I don't think I've said this yet, however: **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from this story, so you can't sue me! Muahahahaha! (cough) anyway...**

**Chapter Three**

**And So a Voyage Begins **

The next few minutes were a blur. The man, named Miroku had instantly suspected suspicious doings and had called upon a few ship mates to grab the two women and tie them up. They were grabbed by the wrists and forced to stand up, and then forcefully pushed down the ladder and completely and rather roughly thrown head first in the prince's room.

Groaning, Kagome hoisted herself off from the ground and was sitting up when Miroku came with rope and died her and Sango together, completely disabling either one from moving.

Running out of the room to get their third friend, Miroku left the two dismantled girls in the company of the sleeping prince.

"Great, see, Kagome... you got us into this, you should give yourself a _big_ pat on the shoulder!" Sango snapped out, sarcasm dripping evilly from her every word. "We could've been sleeping in our warm beds at home by now... but **no** – instead, we're tied up in rope, taken hostage by the prince's crew on their ship which is taking a few weeks voyage across the sea!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and then felt a pang of guilt strike her as she heard the ship creak and groan as it sailed slowly across the waters. She _was_ right... it _was_ her fault that they were trapped mindlessly on the ship and if she just hadn't... wait – was that snoring?

Looking around the room, she raised her eyebrows as she just indulged the contents. The floorboard was wooden and creaky, just as any old ship's floorboards would be, two cupboards on one side of the room, and a small square window on the other side, letting in bright sun, meaning the sun had finally taken its toll in the sky, but what surprised her most was the man sleeping on the beautifully red quilted bed.

He was sleeping face first towards his pillow, his back rising up and down slowly and his silver hair washed over his neck and across the pillow mindlessly, and at the rate of how silky his hair looked – he was sure to be royalty, though the most curiosity grabbing characteristic of his were the two puppy ears on top of his head, which twitched slightly every so and then at any sound.

Nudging Sango's back, Kagome whispered to get her attention. "Sango... look at the man sleeping on that bed!"

Snapping out of her current misery, she pushed her head up and looked around the room miserably. Shaking her head, she returned to mourning on the ground. "Who cares... it's not like we're going to be alive in the next few minutes..."

Kagome blinked in confusion and then rolled her eyes. "They aren't going to kill us Sango," she said and then snapped her focus back on the man as he shifted his body around, so now his face could be seen as he continued to sleep. "Sango, just look, I think he's a demon!"

Sango shot her head up and looked around the room surprisingly. Finally spotting the sleeping demon on the bed, she widened her eyes, her mouth slowly gaping open. "See, they _are_ going to kill us!"

Kagome sighed, "For gods sake, they aren't going to kill us, but just look at him... isn't he – oh my god, his ears twitched, I swear they did!" Squealing like a little girl who had just received candy, Kagome put on her brightest smile and continued to observe him. "... This is so fascinating..." she whispered out speechlessly and squealed again when he twitched his ears at the sound of her squealing.

Rolling her eyes, Sango shook her head and dropped her head down once again. "We're going to die and all you can think about is some demon with two... _unusual_ ears on top of his head?"

"They aren't unusual, they're so cute!" Kagome giggled out, always having a thing for dogs, and this certain demon who had the cutest ears on his head wasn't going to be an exception.

Sighing, Sango went back to counting the seconds while Kagome continued to observe the sleeping prince. Just as Kagome was going to try and force herself out of the ropes so she could get closer to the ears which were fascinating her beyond measure, Miroku opened the door, the knob slamming on the wooden wall behind it. "Oops..." he murmured and walked in the room, allowing room for the third man to walk in, which he did, and rather quite sluggishly.

"Come on... I only got to sleep for fifteen minutes at the least!" he said and then dropped to the floor as he reached the middle of the room.

Miroku slapped his forehead as both of the men continued to sleep, Kouga being the one who had fallen asleep on the floor and Inu-Yasha, the prince, being the one who was sleeping without any care in the world.

"Get up you two morons!" he said and kicked Kouga in the ribs, jerking him awake.

"I never knew the floor could be this comforting..." Kouga murmured out and closed his eyes again after glancing around the room once.

Kagome giggled along by Sango as they watched the antics of the two men, Miroku trying hopelessly to get Kouga up from the floor, while he just slept on the wooden floor carelessly.

After a series of yelling and pushing, Kouga was finally standing up beside Miroku who looked frustrated beyond measure. Though rather unfortunately, just as Miroku was going to tell Kouga the happenings, he started to drift to the left.

Sango burst out laughing as another fight occurred, and just as Miroku was about to strangle Kouga, both of them stopped midair and turned all their attention to the two girls.

"What the hell?" Kouga yelled out and pushed Miroku away from him so he could focus all his attention on the newly found girls. Ignoring the cusses coming from Miroku, Kouga ran up to the girls, crouching down before them so he could become eye level with them. "Did you buy them off someone?"

Kagome scoffed, ignoring all formalities and snapped, taking the offence seriously. "_Buy_ us? Who do you think we are?" she yelled out and ignored the groan which came from Sango at her outburst.

Kouga narrowed his eyes. "A little too feisty don't you think Miroku?"

"Didn't you even listen to me?" Kagome yelled out and struggled in the ropes, "He didn't buy us for god's sake!"

Locking gazes with Kagome, he raised his hand to his chin and rubbed it slightly. "Then you two must be pretty cheap to come along for free..."

Kagome growled. "You preposterous ass, what do you think we are?"

"What do _you_ think you are?" he replied and furrowed his eyebrows as Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't even make sense!" she yelled out and was about to continue the fight, persistent to holding her self-respect when Miroku interrupted.

"Why don't we wake up Inu-Yasha first, Kouga?" he asked, or rather told as he didn't wait for an answer to walk up to Inu-Yasha, shaking him roughly as he still slept soundlessly throughout the whole ordeal.

"I'm not hungry..." he yawned out and punched Miroku's arm away rather hardly. "Sleep, sleep..."'

Raising a hand to his forehead, Miroku groaned and shook his head. "I'm going to lose all my sanity," he murmured out and then grabbed Inu-Yasha arm, pulling him closer towards the edge of the bed in attempts to pull him off. Just as Inu-Yasha landed on the floor with a 'thud', he snapped his head up and raised his hand up in the air.

"Waterfall!" he yelled out and then blinked in confusion as he looked around, noticing that everyone in the room, especially two unknown women were staring at him as if he had gone mad. "I swear there was a - huh?" he blinked as he processed the settings around him as if just remembering he was on a ship. Then, just as he noticed he was in his newfound bedroom with several people intruding his privacy, he narrowed his eyes, pushing away his last words as if he had never said them. "I mean, what are you all doing in my bedroom?"

Miroku growled. "Finally," he shook his head and then punched Inu-Yasha upside the head. "Shut up and let me talk."

Kagome raised an eyebrow as the man, named 'Inu-Yasha' grumbled and got up, bouncing back on his bed to sit down and lean against the wooden wall where he regained his full consciousness to glare deathly at both Sango and Kagome as if they were the cause of his lack of sleep. She was in the middle of averting her gaze away from Inu-Yasha so she didn't look like some obsessed freak, Miroku spoke up.

"I found these two girls aboard our ship." He said curtly and wafted his hand in their direction.

"Just let us explain-." Sango started off but was cut off by Inu-Yasha.

"So throw them in the cellars, I just want my sleep!" he said gruffly and rubbed his head. "Great... here comes the headache..."

Kagome felt her heart freeze as he said those dreaded words and stuttered for an excuse. "You can't!" she yelled out and felt Sango stiffen behind her.

"Why not?" Inu-Yasha said and narrowed his eyes, jumping off the bed to walk towards the tied up girls. "I don't see a problem with that," He crossed his arms across his chest and looked down at them. "I am, after all, the prince."

With at least five dozen thoughts scurrying throughout her head, Kagome blurted out the only thing closest to making sense. "Well, **_I'm_** a _princess_!"

Everyone froze in the room, including Sango who had silently started to pray for some miracle to occur. It was one of those times, where you could even hear a pin drop in the extended silence of the room.

"... You're a princess?" Inu-Yasha echoed everyone's thoughts, not noticing the way Sango flinched at the word.

"Kagome...?" Sango whimpered with a hint of deadly venom, yearning for revenge.

"Princess Kagome?" Miroku mused out loud, hearing Sango whimper her name and raised a hand to his chin in wonder alongside Kouga who looked deep in thought.

"So... Miroku never _bought_ you?" Kouga said at last and studied them both hard, his brown pupils shifting from Kagome to Sango each second.

Kagome gulped, _'me and my big mouth...' _she thought over and over again, swallowing the lump in her throat as she looked back at the three inquiring men. "Why not? Haven't you heard of me?" she lied boldly to their faces, hoping to god Sango would play along with her.

Kouga shook his head, pushing aside Inu-Yasha as he stared coldly down at Kagome with a stare which sent a chill down her spine, and as Kouga took Inu-Yasha's spot, he leaned down politely. "Excuse my earlier inquiries..." He said, his voice changing its tone completely, from stubbornness and rudeness to surprising inquiry and politeness. "I never knew we were handling with such loyalty."

"Wait a minute, wait _just_ a minute! We still haven't gotten any proof that she's telling the truth!" Inu-Yasha said and walked back in front of Kouga, kicking him back, completely ignorant to the death glare sent his way from the wolf look like demon which had been knocked away.

"You're right!" Miroku said and walked beside Inu-Yasha. "You both don't have any proof to prove your statement right."

Kagome searched for words. Ugh... why did it feel like someone had washed her mind blank and to load up the pressure, scorch her tongue dry so she couldn't talk? Biting her lips as she was about to blurt out that she was in fact lying, Sango spoke up.

"Why should we prove it to you? It's not like we're lying anyway..." she said and then took in a deep and rather nervous breath as the three men sat down to think about her answer.

"... Well, could you tell us what Kingdom you rule?" Miroku asked after a minute worth of thinking.

"The...uhm... the..." Sango stuttered and thought for an answer. "The Kingdom of the... s-southern Islands."

There was another tenacious pause in the room and just when Kagome and Sango thought that the three men would catch their bold faced lies, Miroku widened his eyes and let out a surprised yell. "Well, that's where we're heading right now!"

Kagome felt her heart sink to her stomach and divulge right there and then. This couldn't be happening... simply couldn't! First they had lied that they were princesses, then they had lied about which Kingdom they ruled and which by the way, they didn't rule any, and after that, they figured out that the Kingdom Sango had made up majestically in her mind was the same place they were headed off to.

"So I guess we can keep you both with us and drop you off at the Islands." Kouga said at last and walked over to them, untying their ropes to set them loose.

Kagome spoke up quickly. "No, no, no! Don't drop us off there... uh... we had some business to do at the Village we just left from and so, we'll stay with you until we make our trip back there..."

Kouga shrugged. "Fine by me, but you have to do a favor for us." He said and turned to Inu-Yasha who was still glaring at everyone, especially Kagome and Sango as if still in doubt.

"...Favor?" Sango said meekly, not liking the sound of it at all.

Inu-Yasha spoke up, diverting Kagome's attention from Kouga to him. "Just tell your mother, Queen Kagura that we need some water of the gods to refresh our fountain back at my palace." He said curtly and then tore his eyes away from the scene, stomping out of the room in a huff.

_x.x _

Kagome groaned, banging her head on the bed she was resting on slightly. How could this happen to her? It wasn't fair... not fair at all!

She had been shown her room, which was directly beside the prince's room, rather unfortunately as all he did since their meeting was glare at her – sending off vibes he was not pleased at all by their occurrence and she was now silently mourning her life due to the big, mortifyingly wretched lie both Sango and she had delivered. She should've listened to the sayings her mother used to tell her. _'What a tangled web we weave, when we first plan to deceive.'_

That was exactly what had happened.

Sitting up straight in the bed after half an hour worth of trying to get to sleep in the early morning, she felt her heart twist with worry as she looked around her room.

It was quite the room; she had to accept, but nothing like her room at home. This one, was outstandingly royal, her bed rocked from side to side, the bed sheets and mattresses made by the finest cloth and the most beautiful of embroideries, the cupboard in front of her was filled with every dress any girl would wish for and the curtains which hid the bright sunlight from filling the room was a rich red color, giving the room a majestically beautiful glow.

But her room at home, even though was nothing compared to the one on the ship was so cozy, so homey that she couldn't help but feel homesick.

"...Happy Birthday Souta." She whispered and crawled out of bed to walk in front of the mirror which was right beside the cupboard to glance at herself for the hundredth time that day.

She was wearing a purple dress which she had found in the cupboard, but nevertheless, despite the expensive material, she would rather wear her old clothes at home. She felt horrible. Well, who wouldn't after they had sneaked on a ship, gotten stuck on it and had lied that they were princess and were now sent on a job to ask their 'supposedly' mother to get them something.

She pushed the thought at the back of her mind. She'll think about what would happen to them when they reach the Islands. Taking in a deep breath, she turned around and walked out of her room, walking past Inu-Yasha's vacant room and up the ladder to the dock.

Climbing up, she let out a sigh of relief as a cool breeze hit her gently, calming her down at once, climbing the rest of the ladder, she crawled onto the dock and stood up. Walking further out onto the dock, she looked around, well; there was no point in hiding herself any longer. The whole crew had been notified that two 'princesses' were aboard the ship and she was pleased to go anywhere she wanted. Smiling as she looked around, she walked up to the wooden railings and leaned on it, looking down at the water they were passing across.

"It's so peaceful..." she murmured out as she saw miles and miles of water all around them, and the clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight above them, dotted with the happily bright sun which was sending off warm tremors, giving the day a delightful glow. The breeze which was being sent off towards her direction every moment of the day due to the movement of the ship was evening out the weather, making it seem calmingly beautiful.

Just as she was savoring the moment, she almost jumped out of her skin as she heard a voice behind her. "I still don't believe you're a princess."

Snapping around at once saw the prince eyeing her gruffly. Stammering, she spoke up. "I don't have to prove myself" she said to him and turned back around to watch the sea, her home village already dispersed from eye sight.

Noticing him lean against the railings beside her to look at the scenery, she stiffened as she felt his gaze upon her. "Then how come you become so nervous whenever someone brings it up?"

Kagome growled deeply. Why wouldn't he just drop it and let her enjoy the moment? "None of your business" she said snappily and glanced at him for a mere second, just noticing the fact that his eyes were gaspingly gold.

He narrowed his eyes and let the comment roll off his back. "I still don't believe you."

She let out a growl of frustration and turned to glare at him. "You don't have to; just go mourn in front of someone else!"

Crossing his arms across his chest, he narrowed his eyes and glared down at her. "You better keep your morals straight; just remember whose ship you're traveling on! Princess or not, I can throw you off any time I want."

Kagome felt her breath hitch in her throat, but nevertheless, she fought back. "Well, who would've known the prince was such an ass?" she wafted her hands in front of his face, not caring the roll of her mouth. "I didn't do anything to you and you're already biting my head off!"

Inu-Yasha scoffed. "I just have a hunch that you're lying about this whole ordeal!" he said and leaned down in front of her, "Because I never knew the Queen of the Southern Islands had two daughters!"

Kagome froze for the 'who knows what!' time that day, but regained her position quick enough. "Well, you've been missing quite a lot then!" she murmured and matched his glare with her own, tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear as the wind whipped it around gently.

"How old are you exactly?" He asked, surprising her with her question as it popped out of no where.

"I'm seventeen." She replied, and crossed her arms across her chest to match his posture.

He smirked. "Gotch'ya, you're too young to rule a Kingdom, you have to be at least eighteen!"

Kagome stuttered, how the **hell** was she supposed to know _that?_ This was all new to her from the start! Shaking her head, she spat out the nearest thing closest to making sense in the discussion of political issue. "Well, I don't exactly rule it, I'm going to inherit the Kingdom soon enough and anyway, it's not like you're any older than I am!"

He raised an eyebrow, his golden pooled eyes sparkling in the sunlight shining down on them. "I'm nineteen." He answered back smartly and beamed proudly as if he had just answered a life puzzling question.

Kagome growled and looked away in a puff as his answer caught her off guard; she couldn't help but feel stupid though, she pretty much _had _expected him to be older than her, more or so in his twenties and nineteen seemed close enough, but his attitude and persistence had been nothing she had seen coming her way.

"So give in?" he said and cocked himself towards her in a friendly manner, surprising Kagome with his sudden mood swing.

Looking back up to him, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Give in to what?"

"That you _were _lying." He said and then stared down at her, waiting for the answer expectantly.

She shook her head furiously, frustration washing over all the confusion that had pooled inside of her. "Will you drop it? I wasn't and I'm not lying!" she growled and looked back at the sea for a second, a thought appearing in her head. "By the way," she glanced down at her hands. "Could you tell me the entire route of the journey?"

He narrowed his eyes, his golden orbs glazing with curiosity. "Why?"

"I just... want to know exactly where we're going to be stopping, traveling and landing... pure instinct, that's all." She said and looked up at him with a beg in her honey dabbed eyes. "Please?"

"Ask the captain, I've got nothing to do with the route." He said and turned around towards the front dock of the ship. "He's standing in front of the wheel, the one with the wooden leg." Jabbing his thumb in the captain's direction, he glanced at Kagome one last time before walking away stubbornly down towards the trapdoor of the ship, leaving Kagome to her thoughts.

"Uh... okay!" She called back, not knowing if she should thank him due to his earlier rudeness. Shrugging off the odd inquiries, she walked away from the railings and towards the captain who was looking mindlessly at the sea in front of them. Walking up to him, she poked him on the shoulder, gaining his attention immediately.

"Ah, 'ello deary!" He said and bowed down in front of her, startling Kagome with his actions. "Any reason why you must approach me?" he said as he got back up, fixing his hat as it had moved during his bow.

"I just wanted to know the route we'll be taking." She said, and gave a small smile as his face lit with pleasure.

"Of course my lady!" he said and pulled out a scroll from his pant pocket. Parching it open, he cleared his throat and showed the map to her, leaning closer so she would be able to see. "First we'll sail for three days, and as we reach the Misty Falls, we'll turn before the rocks and stop at the caverns to have a talk with Medusa."

"Medusa?" Kagome asked breathlessly... oh no... they had to be kidding her! The, almighty mistress who could turn a person into stone with just a glance of her eyes?

"You gots' me right the first time my lady," He said and then pointed to the map again and trailed along with his finger. "Then I's travel towards the nor'thern star until we reach the Nor'thern Islands, stay there for a few days," he adjusted the rim of his hat. "And then travel all the way to the Souther'n Islands, journey about a matter of two and a half weeks." He said and then rubbed his chin, a manner which a lot of the men on the ship had a habit of doing. "So it'll be taking I's at least a whole' month for us ta' go back home!"

Kagome nodded idly; already tinged with home sickness at the thought of not being able to see her family in a month... she could only imagine the worried expression which would plaster her mothers face at her disappearance. "Thanks..." she said and turned around and was about to walk to the other side of the ship when a loud bell was struck somewhere in-between the ship, almost clattering her ear drums.

"Ar, It's breakfast time!" The captain said and clapped his hands together. "You'd be eating with the prince and his fellow sea mates, I'll be eating on deck here, so make your way so you wont be late!" he said, wafting his hands in front of himself in a waver which told Kagome to move it.

Grumbling, Kagome sighed as she scrambled forward towards the trap door. So she'd be eating with oh so stubborn prince? "What a pleasure..." she murmured out, and even the densest of people could sense the extended sarcasm dripping from her voice.

_x.x _

**That's long enough for me... and once again, I'm so sorry for the late update, I hope I'll get the next one done faster... **

**I wonder what's with me and updating on Sunday's during the night... **

**Anywho... Toodles, Kealilah! **

**P.S. – Review and tell me what you though about it! (I'd put a smiley face right about here... but fanfiction won't let me put in my faces anymore!) **


	4. Two Over Four

**A Perpetual Tale**

**Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it! – And yes, the chapter is supposed to be a fraction. Argh... I guess school's _really_ been getting to me now. **

**By the way, this chapter was supposed to be up a week ago but due to some difficulties - I had to delay. **

........................

**Chapter Four**

**Two Over Four**

...........................

Walking towards the trap door and opening it so it could once again make a way down to the floors of the ship, Kagome preached over and climbed down the ladder carefully. So it was said and done, she and Sango were staying aboard the ship for an estimated amount of a month. Slowly moving towards the doors which led to the library, she bit her lip as she felt the ship sway a tad towards the left. Oh god, if this continued, she'd be vomiting out her lunch as soon as she ate it.

Opening the door, forgetting her rocking ship dilemma and forcing on a smile as she saw Sango waiting for her in the library, Kagome ran gracefully towards her. "Hi again." She said and glanced towards the dining room which could be seen through the doors. "I had a talk with the captain."

"And?" Sango asked, pulling Kagome lightly towards the dining room as she felt her stomach grumble.

"...It'll be a month for sure before we get back home." Letting out a miserable sigh, Kagome lowered her voice. "If only there was a way we could tell everyone back home that we were safe."

"There isn't..." Sango lowered her tone as she got closer to the dining room doors. "All we can do is just forget about home for the moment, it'll help for sure," Clearing her throat, she nudged her head towards the handle. "Anyway, I heard we eat with the prince."

"We do – so open the doors..." Kagome trailed off as Sango slowly pulled open the sliding doors, revealing the same dining room they had seen before, except this time, Miroku, Inu-Yasha and Kouga were sitting around it, eating the most magnificent breakfast Kagome had ever seen in her life! Home made bread cut into neat slices, jugs of creamy milk, glasses filled to the top with freshly squeezed orange juice, hot bacon with fried eggs, a plate of sausages and mince rolls, apple pie with cream and to top it off a whole plate of scones with strawberry jam was set in their delight.

"You're finally here, I was about to go up and get you two!" Kouga offered a friendly smile, his right fang showing distinctively as he took a big gulp from his goblet. "Come sit!"

Smiling back, Kagome decided to take a seat beside him, watching Sango as she wearily sat beside Miroku and tried to ignore the broad smile on his face. "So, why don't we break the ice between us?" he said and looked towards both Sango and Kagome, swallowing his food in an attempt to talk.

"Yeah, if we're going to be spending a whole month or so with each other, let's get to know each other!" Kouga added on, ignoring Inu-Yasha as he shook his head.

"Alright then..." Kagome offered a small smile and almost jumped out of her skin as the jug of milk picked itself up and poured milk into her goblet. Shaking off the surprise, she remembered she was in the company of two demons and a man which looked like a monk so that there was bound to be some serious magic onboard. "We both are... uh, sisters," she stopped to take a gulp as she noticed Inu-Yasha leave his food to cross his arms over his chest to simply stare at the two females.

"She's Kagome, and I'm Sango!" Sango picked up as she saw Kagome didn't like the attention focused on her one bit at all. "And uh... I don't know... what else?"

Miroku let out a snicker. "Well, to make official introductions, I'm Miroku, that there is Kouga and the guy eating beside me, who hasn't said a word so far is Inu-Yasha... the prince though we both are his good friends, and cousins."

"Nice... uh, to meet you all." Sango said cheerily and looked down at her plate as Miroku forced upon some sausages and bacon onto it, the smell making her stomach grumble in hunger.

"Mhm." Kagome murmured out between stuffing the bread in her mouth as she drank the creamy milk. Finally swallowing the bread, Kagome wiped her mouth. "It'll be fun!"

Inu-Yasha scoffed, taking a bite from an apple pie slice. "Just don't go sneaking around where you don't belong." He said scruffily and took a sip from his orange juice.

Raising an eyebrow, Kagome glanced at him for a mere second before sweeping her eyes around the room, deciding not to reply to his command. "Anyway... isn't there a third and fourth floor to the ship?" she asked as she remembered the windows on the bottom of the ship she had spotted from outside.

Maybe it was just her, but she could've sworn the boys, especially Inu-Yasha had tensed as she had said that. And just before they had answered, Kagome wearily noticed how they glanced at each other before Kouga answered.

"I... don't recall there being another floor," He said, not looking at her as he replied. "Why?"

Sango kicked Kagome under the chair, signaling her that she knew they were hiding something and as she received a kick back, she quickly swallowed the milk she was drinking before she replied. "Oh, well – we saw a window on the bottom of the ship -."

"You must've been seeing things in the heat." Miroku said firmly, his tone of voice sending off warning bells though Kagome let it roll of her back.

"No – it was pretty cool this morning, it was there for sure." Looking at Sango for a mere second, Kagome stated her point clearly and was about to continue when Inu-Yasha spoke up, for the second time that morning.

"Well then, you must've been seeing things in the dark." He snapped and sent a glare towards her, ending his sentence with a growl.

Kagome shifted uneasily as the table fell into silence, knowing she had somehow hit a touchy subject. As the matter had been settled, the table fell in silence, though the silence was repeatedly broken as Miroku started to crack jokes that were in no place funny, thought it had the table laughing just for the good of it.

It took them a good twenty minutes to finish their breakfast as in the end; everyone had started talking again, this time Sango and Kagome joined, now being a tad more comfortable with each other.

Just when everyone had gotten up from their chairs, Miroku stretching his arms and Inu-Yasha cracking his knuckles, Kagome motioned Sango to meet her up on the deck receiving a nod in reply.

"We both are going up to the deck," Sending a smile to the three guys as she pulled Sango out of the room, she caught Inu-Yasha's eye for a second before closing the dining room door.

Leading Sango out of the library and through the corridor, Kagome swiveled around to meet Sango just as soon as they reached the ladder. "What the hell was all that about?!"

"I swear I wasn't flirting with Miroku!" Spitting it out in self-defense, Sango raised her hands in warning.

Kagome raised an eyebrow, her eyes flooding with confusion. "I wasn't even talking about that, but thanks for pointing it out." She said, giving her an icy smile. "Anyway, I was talking about how they totally lied about there being a third and fourth floor to the ship!"

Sango raised a hand to her lips at once. "Are you crazy? Don't say it so loudly, climb up the ladder at least, we'll talk about it up on the deck."

Nodding, Kagome turned around and climbed up the ladder step by step, pushing open the trap door as she reached it. Crawling onto the wooden deck, she stood up and put a hand to her head as her hair flew around at once, a chill going down her spine at the sudden wind. "Wow, it's even sunnier now than it was before."

"Never mind that, come here..." Sango grabbed a hold of Kagome's hand and pulled her to the end of the shop, both of them taking a seat on the small ledge right at the edge of the ship, allowing Kagome to look down at the rushing water. "Hey, don't lean over so much, you might fall off!"

Kagome pulled back immediately, emitting a laugh from Sango for her sudden awareness. "All right, why'd you pull me to the end of the ship?" She asked and looked to see Inu-Yasha and Kouga pull themselves up from the trap door, both of them laughing as Miroku made some sort of comment from below.

"Because the winds going this way, both Kouga and Inu-Yasha have keen ears, they won't be able to hear us because the wind will be dragging our voices to the other direction." Sango explained clearly, pulling up her feet to the ledge to get a better seating position. "So about what they said..."

"There _is_ a third and fourth floor, I'm _sure_ of it!" Kagome practically yelled out, receiving a punch from Sango as Kouga glanced their way as he heard her yell.

"You idiot!" Sango steamed out as she slapped her forehead, looking at Kouga momentarily to see if he had overheard what Kagome had said. She let out a deep breath as he saw him shrug his shoulders and continue on with the game the three had started to play. "Thank _god_ he didn't hear!"

Kagome frowned. "Back to the topic... why would they hide two whole floors?"

Sango raised her hand to settle a strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe they want to hide something valuable? I mean, I'm sure there are two more floors they've hidden passage to, because it was so obvious they were lying when they denied it."

Nodding, Kagome took a breath of the fresh air with the scent of sea salt before talking. "Valuable? But why would they hide something _valuable?_ They're made of money, and everything they do completely brags about it so what would be the point of hiding something _valuable?_" Kagome spat out, making her words seem harsher than she had intended to, though nevertheless she pondered over the fact. It _was_ true, the food they ate, the homes they lived in, the clothes they wore – it was all high class, so if they had a priceless artifact, why not just add it to their gallery?

Sango sighed. "Well, maybe it's not that _kind_ of valuable, some sort of -."

"Hey, what're you both talking so intently about!?" Miroku's voice called out to them, snapping them both out of the conversation immediately.

"Nothing important!" Kagome yelled back boldly, putting on one of her fake though charming smiles, making her seem innocent, throwing them off track completely.

"Well, you wanna' come hang out with us?!" He yelled back from the middle of the ship, where he was hanging from one of the casts, the game the three were playing seeming to have finished off.

"Uh, sure..." Sango said, sliding off from the ledge and waiting for Kagome to jump off as well. Just as soon as she did, they both headed towards the other side of the deck, Sango stopping beside Miroku who jumped down from the cast to stop and talk with her. However, Kagome ran straight towards the steering wheel where the captain was telling Inu-Yasha how to handle the steering wheel.

"Oh can I try?" Kagome said suddenly, drawing both of their attention to her at once.

"Sure, just you make sure you don't turn it either left or right, straightforward only - thank you my lady!" The captain said, "I'll be right back." Bowing once again before running across to another trap door on the deck and disappearing down it at once.

Walking up to the wheel, she slowly took hold of it firmly and squealed as she felt full control of the ship.

"Jeez, you make it sound like such a big deal." Inu-Yasha's voice came from behind her. Turning her head to look, Kagome pouted and turned away – not wanting to bother with an attitude like his at the moment.

Sensing the ignorance coming from her side, he crossed his arms across his chest knowing exactly what to do to break the silence. "You have far too much dignity to be a princess."

Kagome growled almost at once, forgetting about the wheel immediately. "Oh god... why in the world wont you drop saying that?!" Turning around she quickly grabbed his left ear and pulled him down. "And by the way, you're much too _rude_ to be a prince!"

He winced immediately, yelping as she grabbed harder, pulling him along the boat to the ledge on the other side of the deck.

If he wasn't so numb from the pain she was creating by the furious pull on his ear, he would've reacted but he _was_ numb thus at her mercy. "Ah, don't pull so damn hard!" He yelled out, trying to pull her hand away.

"I'd let go only if you apologize!" Snapping at him, Kagome pushed him on the ledge, finally letting go of his ear, his hand going immediately towards it to comfort it.

"You wish!" He said, his words coming out in a growl. He was about to jump off when he felt himself being tug forward as she grabbed a hold of his fang and black bead magic chain around his neck. "Hey, be careful with that!"

"Are you going to apologize to me or not!?" Drawing out her words slowly, she glared at him, making sure he knew she wasn't kidding around.

"No way in hell, woman." He replied, and gulped when he saw her eyes close to slits.

"Can you swim?"

"Yeah, why?" He asked, his eyebrows shuffling in confusion, though he didn't have time to think as he was pushed backwards, falling headfirst in the water below.

"**_SCORE!_**"

Kagome turned around, seeing Kouga grinning madly, accompanied with Miroku who was scribbling furiously on parchment.

"That's... one for Kagome, zero for Inu-Yasha." He said, putting down the inked feather he was writing with and then gave the parchment to Kouga to put in one of his pockets. Rolling her eyes, Kagome shook her head and then leaned over to make sure he wasn't bluffing when he said he could swim. Luckily, there he was, scowling madly as he swam furiously to catch up with the ship.

Smiling proudly for her achievement, not caring she had just thrown the prince of her own country off a ship into the cold rushing waves beneath them she walked to the side of the ship to help Miroku and Kouga throw down a ladder to haul him back up.

Just as soon as he had climbed up halfway up the ladder, he growled furiously. "I'll **_get_** you for that!"

Widening her eyes in realization, Kagome screamed as Inu-Yasha jumped aboard the ship and ran for her, only giving her a split second to turn around and run. Squealing as she felt him grab her by the wrist and pull her back, she gasped as he shook his body from head to toe, spraying all the water that was soaked onto his body, right onto her.

As he stopped, Kagome stood there horrified. "Aw crap!"

She was dripping. Her clothes clamped to her skin and her hair plastered to her face. "How the hell did you just do that?"

"I'm a demon remember?" He snapped back, obviously in a bad mood for being thrown off board. "God, didn't anyone teach you to respect elders?"

Kagome almost laughed. "Jeez, didn't anyone tell you to behave?!"

"_**What **in the** wor'ld?!**_ Who left the wheel?!"

Both Kagome and Inu-Yasha turned towards the upper part of the deck where the captain stood standing with his hand raised to his forehead.

Realizing at once what she had done, Kagome mentally cursed her self. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Arr, this is 'bad I tell ya'!" He said and grabbed the wheel, pulling it to a stop as it turned around madly. Pulling the wooden lever to stop the wheel from making anymore turns than it had already done, he shook his had with frustration. "If ya' had ta' go play in the water', you could've set the ship on auto!" He yelled out, shaking his head as he slapped a hand on his forehead.

Kagome frowned. "But, I only left it for a few minutes, what could possibly happen?"

"Arr, _many_ things my lady! We've probably changed course of the ship!" He shook his head once again and groaned, peering at the sky between the gaps of his fingers.

"Then let's turn back!" Miroku said, as if the captain were stupid.

"I wish!" As he took his hands off his face, he turned his head towards the direction the ship was sailing. "I lad, can only see the northern star at night, so we can't see if we're goin' the right way right now and by the time night arrives, it might be too late."

"What do you mean by that?" Sango asked, walking a few steps to stand beside the drenched Kagome.

"What' if we're to run into some sort of haunted waters?" He stated with a small pout. "It can happen ya' know!"

"Oh _come_ on! You're letting your imagination run wild – we'll be fine, and that's settled." Kouga raised his hands to settle the argument, not caring that what he said sounded completely moronic. "Okay, so Kagome... let's get you dry." Walking towards her, he changed the topic completely, leaving the horrified captain to himself.

Kagome nodded and was about to follow Kouga when Inu-Yasha sighed. "This is your_ entire_ fault."

Kagome froze, feeling annoyance build up in her stomach again. "Well, _you_ were the one who distracted me!" she drawled out and flinched when Miroku yelled out, almost screeching.

"That's _two_ for Kagome, zero for Inu-Yasha!" he drawled out jokingly, smirking as he saw Inu-Yasha's livid face.

"Stuff it Miroku." He spat out in return, noticing as Kagome shivered in the cold, sighing, he rolled his eyes. "If you don't get changed right now, then don't come running to _me _when you get a high fever and drippy nose."

Glaring at Inu-Yasha for the comment, she headed towards the trap door. "Thanks for your concern." Saying it back icily, Kagome didn't have time to hear his reply as she dropped down on the corridor beneath the trap door.

Pulling back her wet hair and tying it in a pony tail, she followed Kouga into his room, almost jumping out of her skin when she saw a large sword placed ruthlessly on the table beside his bed. "Whoa, why in the world do you have such a humungous sword?"

Kouga glanced over to what Kagome was pointing at from the wardrobe he was searching through. "It's not mine, it's Inu-Yasha's, I was just scathing it for him, it was a little rough around the edges – anyway, here, think fast!"

Before Kagome could even see what he had thrown at her, she stumbled forward to catch it clumsily, only ending up to letting out a scream as a large puff of orange smoke surrounded her. Closing her eyes immediately, she raised her hands in self defense and waited for the worst.

Nothing happened.

That was strange... Opening an eye to see what had happened, she frowned as she saw the smoke had vanished just as soon as it had come. "What the... what- what just happened?"

"You can see for yourself." Kouga replied, laughing jokingly as he witnessed her reaction.

Looking down at herself, Kagome raised her eyebrows at what she saw. "I'm completely dry!"

"Yep."

"How'd you do that?" Feeling her hair, Kagome widened her eyes astoundingly as she felt that they were completely dry even though they had been completely wet just a second ago.

"Magic, no duh." Shaking his head with a small laugh, he was about to say something when Miroku called his name. Turning to Kagome, he sighed. "Hold on, I'll be right back..." Running out the door, he left Kagome in the room without another word.

'_Hmmm.' _Looking around the room, Kagome walked around it slowly, taking in the sight. "Wonder what I can do while he comes back..." Turning her head to glance out the door, Kagome raised her eyebrows as she realized Inu-Yasha's room was right beside Kouga's.

Slowly and rather quietly walking across the room, Kagome peeked her head out of the door to check if anyone was in the corridor. Making sure Inu-Yasha wasn't in his room but upstairs (which was proved by the amount of yelling), Kagome opened his doorknob slowly, sneaking another glance in his room.

Frowning once again, she shuffled her eyebrows in confusion.

Something was different...

Widening her eyes as she saw a trapdoor at the complete centre of the room, she was about to step in when she heard Kouga's voices coming closer to the deck's trapdoor. Shutting close the door immediately and running back into his room, Kagome straightened her posture as Kouga stepped in.

"We're seeing some sort of ancient structure far, far off in the distance, and we'll be crossing it at nightfall – so that's why they called me." He stated simply as if it were no big deal.

"But... why would -." Kagome started off but was cut midway through.

"We weren't supposed to run across any ancient buildings of any sort, it's probably happening because of the change of course... but we'll get back on track so don't worry about it." He said, shrugging. "Alright – back to before, I was about to tell you-."

"Actually, tell me some other time? I've just got to go look up something in the library." Giving him a small smile, Kagome walked out of the room, heading towards the library at once.

_x.x_

The day passed by slowly. Lunch was served and eaten, the same went with dinner. Apart from that, no one really did anything. Kagome spent her time in the library, now getting used to the un-familiar rocking of the ship while Sango spent most of her time up on the deck, just loving the fresh air, and was now enjoying stargazing as night had proceeded to overtake the day.

And for the three boys, they were either messing around the library, pushing each other to the railings on the deck or slamming themselves shut in their rooms to see who could bang their door the loudest.

There had been quite a fuss with the captain as he took out the telescopes and adjusted them so he could spot the Northern Star, which had been found and jotted down so they wouldn't lose course again.

Yawning as she turned the page of the book, Kagome rubbed her eyes and proceeded to read the several books she had taken out of the tall and wide bookshelves. So far, she had found nothing about Prince Inu-Yasha Taisho which could somehow relate to what they were hiding beneath the trap door in Inu-Yasha's room, which she was now completely sure led to the third floor.

"They probably discarded all the books which had content about him anyway." She murmured to herself and threw the book she was reading away. Stretching her arms as she got off the couch, she looked up at the bookshelf again, "Might as well try again..."

Climbing the ladder which led to the higher books on the shelf, she was midway up when she felt the ship lurch horribly backwards. Biting her lip as she fell off the ladder to land painfully on her side, Kagome groaned as tons of books fell on top of her.

Just as soon as the ship had tilted, it tilted back to its normal tilt, thought what had happened was enough to alarm the passengers.

_x.x_

**I'm just opening up more strings so I can tie up some other ones and still continue on with the plot... don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the candles just yet, you can expect to see them pop up once again in the next chapter! **

**When will I update? I have no clue... but reviews always motivate me so click that purple button on the bottom left side of the screen and tell me what you thought about it! **


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